Greedfall

# FAQ

Q: What is the comboRankInGame for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 in Greedfall?

A: This combination ranks 1258 out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems for this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS is 192, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo averages 57 FPS on High settings and 62 FPS on Medium settings. The Medium preset is the only 4K option that averages above 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to 36 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84,003 in average benchmark score, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83,807) and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135 (82,980).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26,331. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 860M, scores 26,401, a difference of just 0.3%.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 89, with a maximum of 120 and an average of 105.

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CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This Arrow Lake Refresh chip, built on a 3 nm TSMC process, carries a 36 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. Its synthetic benchmark scores are substantial: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303 indicate an exceptionally strong processor for both multithreaded and single-threaded workloads.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU becomes more relevant. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 192 FPS, which is a massive 65% higher than the 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS. This spread indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates far beyond what the GPU can handle at higher resolutions.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general compute tasks. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 0.2% lower score and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 1.1% lower. These are all high-end server or desktop parts, showing that the Ultra 9 290K Plus sits at the top of the desktop CPU hierarchy.

For Greedfall, which is an Action RPG released in 2019, the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads might be overkill for a game that likely scales well with fewer threads. However, the single-core performance is equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303. This is critical for game logic, physics, and frame pacing, which often rely on single-thread performance. The boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that any single-threaded bottleneck is minimized.

The memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s and the dual-channel DDR5 support likely help with asset streaming in a large open-world RPG like Greedfall. While the game's engine may not fully utilize 24 cores, the high clock speeds and strong single-core performance ensure that the CPU never becomes the limiting factor at any resolution tested. The data supports this: even the lowest average FPS of 36 at 4K Ultra is more likely a GPU constraint than a CPU one, given the CPU's capability.

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GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs are clocked at a base of 2280 MHz and a boost of 2497 MHz. The GPU's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute places it in the mainstream-to-midrange segment, and its 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms this positioning.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions and settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a key consideration for a game that can be demanding on memory. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 36, which suggests the GPU is severely strained. The 448 GB/s memory bandwidth may also be insufficient for 4K texture streaming, potentially causing hitches or reduced frame rates.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are telling: the AMD Radeon 860M scores 26,401 (0.3% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26,421 (0.3% higher). These are integrated or entry-level mobile GPUs, which seems like an odd comparison for a desktop RTX 5060. However, the GPU's average benchmark score of 26,331 places it in this range, indicating that its raw compute performance is not exceptional for its class. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26,011, which is 1.2% lower, showing that the RTX 5060 edges out some last-gen midrange cards.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,628 is a modern DirectX 12 benchmark result, while its Passmark G3D score of 20,891 provides another data point. The 8 GB VRAM is a potential limitation at 4K Ultra, where texture quality demands can exceed this capacity. The data shows a 42% drop in average FPS from 4K High (57 FPS) to 4K Ultra (36 FPS), which is a larger drop than the settings change alone would suggest, implying a VRAM or bandwidth bottleneck at the highest preset.

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Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Low settings average 192 FPS, which is a very high refresh rate experience. Medium settings average 151 FPS with a minimum of 128 and maximum of 173. High settings drop to 137 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage 87 FPS. This resolution is clearly GPU-bound at lower settings, but even at Ultra, the 87 FPS average is well above 60.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings average 133 FPS, while Medium averages 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 and maximum of 120. High settings average 95 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 61 FPS. The jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 30-35% of performance across most settings, which is a typical scaling factor for this resolution increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings average 79 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72, providing a borderline playable experience with some frame drops below 60. High settings average 57 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings collapse to 36 FPS, which is not smooth for an action RPG.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings across all resolutions, shows that the combo maintains reasonably stable frame times. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 128 FPS, at 1440p it's 89 FPS, and at 4K it's 53 FPS. These minimums are within 15-18% of the averages, indicating consistent frame pacing without major stutters.

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Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 192 (1080p) to 133 (1440p) to 79 (4K). This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 59% drop from 1080p to 4K. This scaling is steeper than ideal, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity are being taxed as pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 151 FPS at 1080p, 105 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 30% and 59%, respectively. At High settings, the progression is 137, 95, and 57, with drops of 31% and 58%. Ultra settings show the most severe scaling: 87 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K, representing drops of 30% and 59%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings is notable. Regardless of the preset, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 30% performance, and moving to 4K costs another 40-42%. This pattern indicates that the limiting component is the GPU's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth, not the CPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the scaling to be less severe at lower settings where the CPU has more work to do relative to the GPU.

The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS is particularly telling. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is 37% (from 57 to 36 FPS), which is much larger than the equivalent drop at 1080p (37% from 137 to 87 FPS) or 1440p (36% from 95 to 61 FPS). This suggests that at 4K Ultra, the 8 GB VRAM is likely being exceeded, causing the GPU to spill over into system memory or reduce texture quality dynamically.

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Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium averages 151 FPS, which is more than enough for any display. At 1440p, Medium averages 105 FPS with a minimum of 89, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 4K, Medium averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53, which is just above the 60 FPS target for most of the time, albeit with occasional dips.

High settings are viable at 1080p (137 FPS) and 1440p (95 FPS), but at 4K the 57 FPS average falls just short of the 60 FPS threshold. Players with 4K displays who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity should choose Medium. Ultra settings are only recommended at 1080p, where 87 FPS is still playable. At 1440p, the 61 FPS average on Ultra is borderline, and at 4K, 36 FPS is not suitable for an action RPG with real-time combat.

Low settings provide the highest frame rates but sacrifice visual quality. At 1080p, 192 FPS is excellent for competitive play, but Greedfall is a single-player RPG where visual immersion matters. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot: it offers a 10-15% performance uplift over High while likely providing most of the visual benefits, given the smaller FPS gap between Medium and High (151 vs 137 at 1080p, 105 vs 95 at 1440p, 62 vs 57 at 4K).

For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitors, Medium or High settings will provide the best experience. For 4K displays, Medium is the only preset that consistently averages above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice.

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How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1258 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the 57th percentile of all combinations. This ranking reflects the GPU's midrange positioning more than the CPU's top-tier status. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 96th percentile CPU, but the RTX 5060's 72nd percentile GPU ranking drags the overall combo down.

The disparity between CPU and GPU performance is a key finding. The CPU is capable of much higher frame rates than the GPU can deliver, especially at higher resolutions. This is evident in the 1080p Low result of 192 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited at that point, versus the 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS, which is heavily GPU-limited.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits in the upper-middle range. The rank of 1258 out of 2938 means that 1,258 combos performed better, while 1,680 performed worse. This is a solid result for a mainstream GPU paired with a flagship CPU, but it shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in this system.

The synthetic benchmark data supports this conclusion. The CPU's average benchmark score of 84,003 is in the top 4% of all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 26,331 is in the 72nd percentile. This mismatch means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the system excels, but in GPU-bound scenarios, it performs like a midrange machine.

In Greedfall, the combo's rank suggests that players with this system should focus on GPU-limited settings rather than CPU-intensive ones. The CPU will never hold this system back in this game, but the GPU will dictate the maximum achievable frame rates, particularly at 1440p and 4K resolutions. The data shows that the RTX 5060 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring reduced settings to maintain playable frame rates.